


A Princess Heist

by SashaDevore



Category: Code: Realize
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-15 04:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7207454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SashaDevore/pseuds/SashaDevore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lupin and Sholmes glared at each other from opposite sides of the large window, seeming like they wanted to have a fist fight. "Sholmes?" Cardia asked uncertainly, attempting to see what her accomplice was looking at. "What is-?"</p><p>"Do not worry yourself, Miss Cardia," Sholmes smiled kindly at her, softly taking her hand and rubbing the back of it with his thumb. "Just a... nuisance is outside. A pest, if you may. It will not bother me if you wish for such."</p><p>Cardia stared at him for a moment longer with a scrutinous gaze before a grin spread on her face. "Let's continue, then," she told him, looking back at the documents before them. "I would like to complete our objective soon so that I may return before supper. Impey always cooks the best meals, and he would be brokenhearted if I did not return in time to eat. Are we finished?" She looked back up at Sholmes to check that he was paying attention as the bell behind her rang, and her head slanted to the side once more in confusion. It seemed as if Sholmes had begun to glare at her... or, perhaps, behind her? "What are you watching?" She asked once more, peering behind her in interest. Suddenly, her eyes widened with shock, her eyes falling upon a familiar figure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Princess Heist

Lupin grumbled loudly, pacing around the dining room of Saint-Germain's mansion in anger and frustration. He pulled at his hair with his fists gripped tight, seeming like he was about to punch a hole in a nearby wall. Next to him, almost everyone who lived at the mansion sat calmly while eating, watching Lupin with amused interest. 

"Lupin," Van Helsing chuckled over his breakfast, placing the knife he wielded down on his plate. "What is your problem? Was your princess taken away from your grasp unwillingly?"

"YES!" Lupin shouted fumingly, halting to face Van Helsing for a moment before turning back to pacing. "That Sholmes man took Cardia away this morning, and she only left a note! She had told me that she would help me today with my plans for the next heist!"

"Oh," Saint-Germain commented lightly, slowly cutting his food. "Are you speaking of the heist that you are planning for next month?"

Lupin stopped in his tracks, turning his face to Saint-Germain slowly so as to attempt to declare that he _doesn't care_ if the heist is next month, he wants to get the plans done that day and with Cardia so that he could use the rest of his time reviewing the plans and helping her with her daily activities. Once he heard Saint-Germain chuckle softly once more, he returned to his frantic pacing as he read aloud the note she left at his door with bewilderment before continuing his thoughts with a rambling. " _'Off with Sholmes to shop for food and help with his newest case! I will be back sometime in the evening!'_ Does that mean she will return early enough for dinner or will she be late? Perhaps she will come crashing through the window at the very best moment to show her exemplary skills in making a grand entrance? That would make my day. Anyway, will she truly be wasting time with Sholmes instead of with me? ... And what if she plans stay at his house for the night?"

"Lupin," Impey called over to him with an exasperated tone, "I am able to cry with you for about thirty minutes, but after that it becomes tiresome! She will be okay! She told me she will return for dinner. Don't worry about her!"

"Yes," Lupin grumbled at Impey, approaching the dinner as he folded up the note once more and placing it in his jacket pocket. "Perhaps I shouldn't worry." He sat down, his hands hovering above the eating utensils in hesitation. He sighed, grabbing the fork and knife with a huff before munching on the breakfast item. He made a note mentally to tell his compliments to the chef before his eyes wandered to the empty chair that Cardia always occupied. He opened his mouth once he gulped his food down and softly slammed his utensils onto the table, grumbling loudly that "Cardia might fall in love with him!"

"Lupin!" Van Helsing shouted, irked to no end as he threw the closest thing he could find at him. Luckily, it was merely a piece of ammo that he had placed aside since he was done examining it. It was new ammo that had made its premiere in stores that morning, and he was interested in seeing how it would affect his gun and his enemies. As Lupin exclaimed in surprise and felt the part of his head that the ammo hit, Van Helsing spoke, "She will not find love in one day with that detective!"

"You don't know that!" Lupin shouted back, slamming his hand back down on the table with much more force than the time before. Victor closed his eyes in brimming anger as he wondered if he should call out how Lupin was being overreactive about Cardia's day out. Ignoring Victor's anger and the drink dripping down the doctor's face, Lupin continued, "What if she completely abandons us? We won't have our princess to lead us to Isaac Beckford!"

Somehow, three of the four other men froze, some still holding their food to their lips. Saint-Germain was the only one who bore a wider smile than his usual as he continued to silently eat his food. In the next instant, the whole room blew up as they furiously talked to each other about different scenarios that could sprout from Cardia's day with Herlock Sholmes. Even with the varied minds that were present in the room, none of the four men speaking could remember through their clouded vision of panic that they could have Cardia make their relationship with one of the best detectives of the world better, and use that to attain more information about Isaac Beckford. It seemed that they were all more worried for the well-being of their princess in the arms of a man that wasn't part of their band. If Cardia was there to see it somehow, she would probably have teared up out of joy.

"Alright," Lupin finally stood from his chair, looking around at the others who sat around the dining table. "Who is willing to crash the largest heist that is in the process of being pulled against us?"

Saint-Germain couldn't help but chuckle to himself about how there is a heist being pulled by a detective against the arguably best thief in the world.

* * *

Lupin slowly pressed his ear to the main door of Herlock Sholmes' home, attempting to listen in on the conversation that took place on the other side. All that he could hear is a single pair of footsteps and Cardia's adorable, surprised sputtering. Lupin attempted to control the red of his face as he continued to listen, trying to pick out words from the two's conversation. "I believe that .... must carry on with ... will clean up when ... the door." Lupin's eyes widened in horror when he figured out the last words that came out of Sholmes' mouth and jumped away from the door, immediately nosediving into the nearby bushes next to Sholmes' home in a manner that would make the leaves of the bushes cloak his existence to most people. He froze his body, straining to hear any noise from inside the house. All he could hear was muffled voices and slow steps. Not towards him and the door... but away. _Is Sholmes taking Cardia upstairs? To his bedroom?_ Lupin quickly stood up once more after a few moments, getting back up onto the steps in frustrated worry for his beloved princess when the door opened in front of him. 

Lupin's mind immediately turned to deception and hiding, causing him to chuck himself back into the bushes. His body fluidly slid to the roots, clearing him out of the view of any but the most observant of people. He cursed at himself as he heard a soft chuckle coming from the door. He peered through the leaves of the bushes, glaring at Sholmes as the man looked down at him with a smirk. "Miss Cardia," Sholmes called into his home, "the need for a change of plans has arisen. Would you like to go shopping, or perhaps take the case-cracking to another place?"

Lupin did his best to not move when he saw Cardia emerge from the house and stand near Sholmes' side as the detective smiled down at her softly. "How come?" She asked him softly, looking around the street with a slight expression of suspicion. "I thought we were going to continue with the case in your study. Was that not a change in placement?" She peered around him, attempting to see through the eyes of Herlock Sholmes. It didn't work.

"I would like to go out for tea, at the very least," Sholmes grinned, taking her hand slowly as to allow her time to reject him. With her hand secured in his, he pulled her away from the door and locked it behind him. "I ran out of tea just now, and I cannot focus on cases without it. Are you alright with this?" He smiled sincerely once she hesitantly nodded, releasing Cardia's hand and instead holding out his arm to her. "Allow me to escort you, then." Cardia stared at him in slight shock and surprise, but wrapped her arm around his eventually, her movements awkward since she hadn't done it before. Sholmes wondered about how Lupin had not done it with her before, since he is the gentleman thief and this was one of the most gentlemanly moves of Britain. And with thoughts of Lupin come thoughts of the Lupin in the bushes. Sholmes glanced over his shoulder with a smirk, speaking to Cardia, "And do not worry, you will not be kidnapped under my care. I will keep you safe."

 _Of course he knew of the time that Cardia got lost. It wasn't my fault! She just... well, she met Victor in the end! That wasn't so bad._ Lupin tried to reassure himself of those points before rising from the bushes grumpily, knowing that they would be gone. He looked to the wall of one of the buildings across the street, from where Van Helsing glared at him. "Where did they go?" Lupin questioned him with a grimace, approaching him while dusting off the leaves from his clothing.

"Perkin Reveller," Van Helsing told him gruffly, smacking him over the head with one of the guns. "What were you thinking? Do all of your fleeing instincts disappear once she's in your sights?"

"Yes!" Lupin cried out to Van Helsing, holding his head with a frown of pain. "Don't yours?"

Van Helsing glared at Lupin before turning his eyes away with exasperation towards where the two went. "I will relay the information to Victor and Impey, and we will meet you there," Van Helsing told him, placing his gun back in its holster and crossing his arms with a huff. "Don't mess it up. They already look like they are enamored with each other."

"I noticed," Lupin nodded profusely, placing his hand on his chin as if thinking. "The way which she blushed when he took her hand... there is no other conclusion." They stared at the direction in which the couple went for a moment. Then Van Helsing stared at Lupin questionably for another as Lupin continued his staring down the street. Van Helsing then decided to smack Lupin with his gun once more to snap him out of whatever trance he was in. "Get to work, you imbecile, or we will be switching places!" Van Helsing shouted at his face in exhaustion. He didn't start to think that he would be forced to be a cheerleader to the supposed leader of the group when he joined all those weeks ago.

Lupin jumped at the second hit to the head and cringed at Van Helsing. "Alright, alright, I'm going. Tell them that the situation is bad!"

"Due to your incompetence? Sure." Van Helsing turned on his heel with a furrowed brow and walked towards the locations of the others, placing his fingertips to his temples to try to shake off the headache that the other had caused. Lupin sighed to himself, grabbing his cloak from where he stowed it away and swiftly changing to his mission attire.

* * *

Sholmes pointed to the map. "And there... you see?" He mumbled loud enough for Cardia to hear, pointing out a place on the map that crossed between three of the burglaries that had occurred some days earlier. "The most obvious place for them to act next is here, especially since it is one of the richer places in the poor part of London. However, they haven't made any attacks since five days ago."

"Perhaps," Cardia thought aloud as she furrowed her eyebrows, "they are preparing a better strategy to break in? How close together were the other attacks?"

"Within hours- even minutes- of each other," Sholmes informed her, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms over each other in musing. "All attacks started and ended that night." That night was truly terrifying for citizens of London, with a good amount of buildings being blown up without warning. Luckily, there were not many casualties; however, there were many injured.

Cardia slanted her head to the side in thought once more as she turned the information around in her mind. "Why would they attack multiple buildings and leave the most important one?" She mumbled to herself thoughtfully. "Perhaps they found what they were looking for?"

"There is nothing that they could find there," Sholmes told her with a soft sigh, attempting to look like he was racking his brain. He knew already, of course, why the attacks suddenly stopped. However, he wanted the beautifully smart woman before him to figure it out, and therefore show if she would be fitting to assist him with his work.

"Were they... hmm..." Cardia held her head by her temples, searching for thoughts that would take her to a solution. "Were they attempting to make it so that once the threat died down, the security around the building would be less than it was that night due to the attacks that were right next door? And therefore, the buildings around the one they were going for would still be attempting to recover from their losses, and the security around the one they were going for was back to its natural settings?"

"Bingo." Sholmes smiled, sitting back up to look at her more closely. "Good work, Miss Cardia," he congratulated her softly, taking her hand as she smiled widely in joy. Her smile suddenly faltered a bit, frozen in place as her cheeks reddened. 

"Thank you," Cardia chuckled nervously, grasping his hand closer because she knew that it was what he (probably) wanted, and she knew from her talk the previous day with Saint-Germain what good relations with this man would mean for the mission that her crew was working toward.

Meanwhile, Sholmes' eyebrows raised as his hand was held tighter. He had thought that she was enamored with Lupin; perhaps he was that insignificant that she had already gotten over her petty little crush for him. He smiled more broadly, finally moving to allow her a break from the mental hardships she had to go through most of that day. Well, he had decided to do so... however, a figure from outside caught his vision.

Of course the bastard was there.

Lupin and Sholmes glared at each other from opposite sides of the large window, seeming like they were about to take their might out against the other. "Sholmes?" Cardia asked uncertainly, attempting to see what her accomplice was looking at. "What is-?"

"Do not worry yourself, Miss Cardia," Sholmes smiled kindly at her, softly rubbing the back of the hand he still held with his thumb. "Just a... nuisance outside. A pest, if you may. It will not bother me if you wish for such."

Cardia stared at him for a moment longer with a scrutinous gaze before a grin spread on her face. "Let's continue, then," she told him, looking back at the documents before them. "I would like to complete our objectives soon so that I may return before supper. Impey always cooks the best meals, and he would be brokenhearted if I did not return in time to eat. Are we finished with this case?" She looked back up at Sholmes to check that he was paying attention as the bell behind her rang, and her head slanted to the side once more in confusion. It seemed as if Sholmes had begun to glare at _her_... or, perhaps, behind her? "What are you watching?" She asked once more, peering behind her in interest. Suddenly, her eyes widened with shock, her eyes falling upon a familiar figure.

"...Lupin?" She asked with confusion, slowly taking her hand out of Sholmes' hold so as to place it on her chest where the Horologium resided. "Why are you here?"

Lupin approached the two swiftly once he knew that Cardia had noted his presence, taking her hands in his as he glared at Sholmes angrily. "What did you do to her hands?" He demanded, peering at the gloves that covered them thoroughly. He would break this man in half if he hurt her, which probably would happen with such a cocky man like Sholmes.

"Oh, Lupin," Sholmes chuckled to himself, leaning back in his chair with his teacup to his mouth, "I merely held them. An action I've never seen you do other than when you are moving her somewhere." Cardia looked up at Lupin in surprise as her cheeks reddened once more, finally realizing that what Sholmes said was true; Lupin had indeed never _truly_ held her hands before this moment.

Lupin, in reply, swiftly and softly lifted Cardia up off of her chair and twirled with her (luckily not knocking anything over) and ending the spin with her in his arms. "I have to agree that you are correct," he sighed with a sly smile, holding Cardia close to him. "However, you have never carried this beloved princess. I must say that my achievements have far surpassed yours, _detective_." Cardia looked between the two in confusion and surprised silence, her jaw agape but her vocal chords unable to sound.

Lupin looked down at the shocked lady in his arms, smiling gently at her. "Dinner, and your friends, are awaiting," he spoke softly before quickly fleeing the teashop after a tip of the hat towards Sholmes. He felt content with the actions he took against the detective. Perhaps Cardia picked up great ways to go against men like Sholmes.

Once Lupin's movements away from the shop slowed, he let Cardia down to have the both of them take a breather and noticed that her eyes were closed in a way that conveyed that she was upset. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you anywhere? Do you want me to make him pay?"

"Lupin..." she mumbled, holding her forehead as she shook her head. Lupin looked at her, then began to quickly examine her for any injuries. 

"There aren't any bodily injuries... did he make your head hurt? I could imagine how a guy such as-"

"Lupin," Cardia spoke with a loud sigh, her chest shaking irregularly. Either she was about to start sobbing or laughing. "Lupin, my groceries are at his home."

A moment of silence passed as Lupin froze in place and Cardia continued to shake her head, giggling at his inability to remember one of the reasons why she was there.

Passerby could soon see the infamous gentleman thief Arsène Lupin on his knees, begging the gods above to make the statement she spoke out loud to be false, and Cardia Beckford sitting beside him, chuckling softly as she patted his back.

**Author's Note:**

> Was listening to "I'm Gonna Kill You Someday" from the Thrilling Adventure Hour podcast, and the idea popped.  
> ere u go  
> hope you enjoyed, please comment if you did <3 <3 <3
> 
> Follow @sashadevore on Tumblr to request short stories (around 500 words) about almost anything you like, to keep track of my stories, or to interact with the writer! Check the rules on the Tumblr page first if you want to request.
> 
> tfw you aren't even at the actual action part and you already have 1.8k words and you're like "alright i don't have to make this next part long' and then it turns out like crap because of those thoughts gdi  
> if you guys find stuff that doesn't make sense or something i could elaborate on or if you want me to make more stories based off this idea then tell me please please please


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